MBA Case Studies

Click on the links below to read some
stories about how our consultants have helped past MBA applicants – and to learn more about how they
can help you!

What 'Leadership' Means to Admissions Committees "Not long ago I worked with a client who had
recently left one of the military services. He had
doubts about his chances at the top b-schools because he
didn't think his résumé was very impressive..."

Be Yourself in B-School Applications"One of the biggest mistakes that b-school applicants make is presenting themselves as someone they think the schools want, instead of being who they
really are. A while ago I worked with a client who almost fell into some
serious trouble this way..."

Putting Your Undergrad Record Behind You "I once worked with a client who really wanted to get in to one of the very top b-schools in the US.
He was worried, though, about his undergrad record – and with good reason..."

Leveraging Work Experience in Your Application"Charlotte is a twenty-nine-year-old risk analyst at a prominent
mid-western retail bank. A green card holder, she completed a PhD in statistics from a Korean university and began working for a well-known U.S. insurance
company..."

Saying What Makes You Special"She had started graduate school but dropped out
because she didn't like it. From there, her career
stagnated. Her goals were vague, and her job was far
below her potential..."

Filling a 'Hole' in Your Application"One time I worked with a client whose applicant profile was strong overall but lacking in important respects. On the plus side, he had above
a 3.8 GPA from a good state university, a GMAT near 700, and decent work experience..."

Tapping Your Hidden Strengths as a B-School Applicant"He was an engineer with impressive quantitative
skills but no obvious experience indicating leadership
potential. He was already in his mid-thirties and had
much more work experience than candidates for full-time
programs usually do, which meant he risked being
perceived as 'too senior' for the program he was
interested in..."

When Alumni Interviewers Go Rogue"Unlike his interviews with other schools and unlike the interviews for this school that our other clients had had, this interviewer made no attempt to
put the applicant at ease. In fact, the entire tone of the interview seemed confrontational instead of conversational. Furthermore, many of the questions he was asked were inappropriate..."

Finding Your Voice In Your Essays"Remember all those writing classes you took in high
school and college about how to structure an essay?
Well, imagine that you had been taught to structure
ideas in a different way in your native language..."

It's What Recommenders Know, Not Who They Are, That Counts"No one will deny that networks are an
important means of getting your foot in the door in the
business world. But if
networks really were THE key to success, then people who
already have connections wouldn't have to bother much
with admissions applications, would they?"